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James Holmes
|birth place = San Diego, California, U.S. |pathology = Mass Murderer |signature = |mo = Shooting Gassing Bombing |type = |victims = 12 killed 70+ attempted |time = July 20, 2012 |charges = 24 counts of first degree murder 140 counts of attempted first degree murder 1 count of possessing an illegal explosive device 1 sentence enhancement of a crime of violence |sentence = 12 life sentences in prison without the possibility of parole, and an additional 3,318 years |capture = July 20, 2012 |status = Incarcerated |alias = The Joker }} James Eagan Holmes is an American mass murderer who perpetrated the July 20, 2012 Aurora shooting which killed a dozen people and wounded 70 others. Background Born December 13, 1987, Holmes' father is a mathematician and scientist and his mother a registered nurse. By his own account, he used to fear what he called "Nail Ghosts" that would knock on the walls, and see what he called "flickers" that fought each other with firearms. He also claimed to be obsessed with killing for over a decade. Holmes began developing mental health issues very early in childhood and showed varying signs of mental instability, such as having attempted suicide as a child, expressed growing desires to kill people, had very poor social skills, and often made flat jokes. He was also a notable fan of superhero movies, most notably the 2012 The Dark Knight Rises film (something which is believed to have been a factor in his motive). Holmes spent almost two months preparing his massacre, buying his equipment over the course of almost six weeks, and even made a call to a crisis hotline to attempt to get them to talk him down (but was unsuccessful). The Aurora Shooting On July 20, 2012, Holmes arrived at the theatre and purchased a ticket for a screening of The Dark Knight Rises and sat in the front row. After watching only twenty minutes, he left and went to his car to dress and retrieve his supplies. He then returned through the back door and began by releasing two gas canisters to disorient and blind the crowd before opening fire. He moved from the back of the theatre to the aisles and shot anyone in sight. Police responses arrived soon after and Holmes was arrested by Jason Oviatt without resistance. Aftermath Holmes was arrested and eventually charged with a dozen counts of murder and briefly placed in an institution in Colorado, but later sent to prison. Modus Operandi Holmes used two tear gas grenades to keep the victims in place before shooting at them with a Smith and Wesson M&P15 sport Rifle, Remington 870 Express Tactical shotgun, and a Glock 22. He also booby-trapped his house with a bomb before leaving to go out on his massacre. What's also interesting to note is that Holmes' outfit managed to fool both his victims and police (either assuming him to be a patron or being mistaken for a police officer). Known Victims *Alexander J. Boik, 18, *Jesse Childress, age 29, *Gordon Cowden, age 51, Jessica Ghawi (a.k.a. Jessica Redfield), *John Larimer, age 27, *Matt McQuinn, age 27, *Micayla Medek, age 23, *Veronica Moser-Sullivan, age 6, *Alex Sullivan, age 27, *Alexander C. Teves, age 24, Rebecca Wingo, age 31, *Note: Holmes also booby-trapped his apartment with a bomb, but it was defused before it could do any damage. }} On Criminal Minds *Season Thirteen **"False Flag" - The Aurora theatre Shooting was one of several similar incidents that conspiracy theorist Melissa Miller claimed were staged by the U.S. government in order to increase gun control. Category:Real World Criminals Category:Real People Category:Real Life Killers Category:Real Life Mass Murderers Category:Real Life Child Killers Category:Real Life Narcissists Category:Real Institutionalized Criminals Category:Incarcerated Real World Criminals Category:Real Criminals Referenced in Season Thirteen Category:Real Life Psychopaths Category:Real Life Sociopaths Category:Real Life Schizophrenics